Pavage was a medieval toll for the maintenance or improvement of a road or street in medieval England, Wales and Ireland.[1] The king by letters patent granted the right to collect it to an individual, or the corporation of a town, or to the "bailiffs and good men" of a neighbouring village.
Pavage grants can be divided into two classes:
The first grant was in 1249 for the Yorkshire town of Beverley, where the pavage was associated with the cult of St John of Beverley, and was ultimately made permanent. Another early one was for Shrewsbury in 1266 for paving the new marketplace, removed from the churchyard of St Alkmund and St Juliana. In 1343 the citizens of Dublin were granted pavage for five years.
Other medieval tolls granted in the same way were murage (to build town walls) and pontage (to build or repair a bridge).
